Nasdaq Europe Faces Struggle
To Become a Leading Exchange

Edited by Hugo Dixon

Updated March 28, 2001 12:01 a.m. ET

It's no use buying up the market square if everyone prefers to haggle in the coffee houses around the edge. For perhaps $13 million (14.5 million euros), plus a commitment to further investment, Nasdaq of the U.S. has bought control of the disappointing Easdaq growth-companies exchange. This will be rebranded Nasdaq Europe. Investment banks have taken small stakes alongside Nasdaq, much as they did with Tradepoint, but have made no binding commitment to use the platform.